Welcome!
Welcome to week #12 in the “72 Hour Kit Ideas: A week by week approach” series.
This series is all about making it simple and do-able to get a 72 hour kit put together for you and your family.
Creating such a kit can be overwhelming and financially difficult to do all at once. But through this series, I’ve broken it down for you into 26 small steps! You can see all the steps here. Just take one small baby step each week and in 6 months you will have a well stocked, personalized kit!
You can even go through the series a few times over a year or two adding just the most basic supplies the first six months and then a few more “extra” supplies each time you cycle through it again.
Want even more help?
This series is also available as an e-book. Purchasing the e-book gives you a few additional benefits over just reading the free series:
- Additional details and tips
- The ability to print the entire book!
- Pictures of my own kit showing just how I pack each week.
Download “Your Own 72 Hour Kit Plan” E-Book Now!
* Some links in this post are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase. Some links (those to Thrive Life) actually provide you with a discounted price. Thanks for your support in this way!
Last Week
I hope you were able to add to the first aid supplies in your kit last week.
Week #12: Medicine
Even if you don’t take daily prescription meds, there are some “meds” you may consider including in your kit. Remember that “illnesses” that may seem small during everyday life (such as a headache or a cold) will be far more difficult to deal with in a disaster situation.
You will want to be your best self in every way possible, especially if you are a parent! This week, add medicines you feel are important for your family to your kit.
While many meds are important, prescription meds can be essential and life sustaining. If there are meds you must take on a regular basis be sure you have a supply of them in your kit.
Ideas / Options:
Other than prescription meds that you already know you need, consider the list below as you decide what to keep in your kit for your family. You may consider putting a 3 day supply of some meds in a small zip pouch (like the ones you can find at craft stores) with a label to save on space!
- Infant / children’s pain relief (with appropriate dropper if needed)
- Children’s Benadryl (for allergic reactions)
- Cold Meds
- Allergy Meds / Antihistamines
- Hydro-cortisone
- Antacid tablets
- Various types of pain relief (including Midol if you use / need it)
- Anti-diarrhea meds and Laxatives (when under severe stress the digestive
system doesn’t always function so well!) - Syrup of Ipecac OR Activated Charcoal (to induce vomiting from poisoning) DO NOT use both. I prefer Activated Charcoal
- High blood pressure meds (Your blood pressure will be higher during times of stress. If you have high blood pressure, include some!)
- Insulin if necessary
- Inhaler / asthma meds
- Birth Control
- Cranberry Pills (for urinary tract infections)
- Ear Drops
- Essential Oils (if you know how to use them)
- An Epi-Pen (if someone in your family needs one)
- Copies of eyeglass or contact prescriptions
What we have done in our family:
We have most of what is listed above. We do not need any prescription meds, blood pressure meds or insulin / asthma meds. We do not have a laxative or ear drops. I would like to get some cranberry pills, but have not yet.
How About You? /
Leave me a comment and tell me what you will be adding to your kit. Why? How are you going to “beef up” the supplies in your basic kit?
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| Week #11: First Aid | Week #13: Personal Care & Hygiene | Week #1: Packaging Your Kit | Series Into: Survival Kit Series, A Week by Week Approach |
Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
I’ll be adding a small surgical first aid kit. As much as I hate the idea, if someone needs stitches and the ambulance can’t get here, I’d rather have a chance to stop bleeding. (We live by the Missisippi and near the earthquake fault, so them not being able to get us isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility. )
If I might make a suggestion: replace the latex gloves with the blue nitrile gloves. Never know when someone might have a latex allergy (my wife does, for instance). Or pack both, if you need to help someone with a latex allergy.
GREAT suggestion! I will update the post today. Thank you!
I am going to add some Quick Clot to my kit as well. Though it will hopefully never need to be used, something like a glass or metal cut, or even a smallish puncture wound (more of a possibility in an emergency situation with our small child) can become a bleeding issue if you are unable to find medical assistance quickly.
I love Moleskin. Never heard about it until this blog and I have to say I’ve used it a number of times already. I’m pretty set for this week. I would like to add a pen light and a bottle of New Skin liquid bandages.
Glad you found moleskin Karrie!
Our power was just out for a day and a half. The kids kept running into stuff and falling (thankfully nothing serious but ice would’ve made it better faster). I need to add cold packs! The peas we usually use defrosted so they were no good.
Cold packs are great. So many uses and priced right!
I feel like we still need everything. We are slowly buying compact food items as they go on sale and we have coupons. This week I finally added a tube of sunscreen. Still have a lot more on the list. I love the “Don’t Die Out There Cards,” those might have to make it in there too. 🙂
Those cards are awesome! (-:
I will be adding some over the counter and perscription medications.Imodium AD, Tums, Gas X, Martin, Tylenol, aspirin, cold meds, Benedryl, anti itch, anti fungal, antibiotic ointment, ear ache drops, eye drops, A&D ointment, sunburn cream and sun block, chap stick, Tiger Balm, BioFreeze, birth control, other perscription meds, antibiotics and pain meds. I’m sure there are more medications that might be needed, but I feel this is a great beginning.
Wow. That is quite the list!
I am going to add moleskin and splints to my first aid kit.
I am still needing to get some burn cream/gel along with many other things on this list. One step at a time 🙂
We have a good sized first aid kid that is next to our packs. Its just in a rubber tub with a handle that is easy to grab, but I need to put things in each pack. In addition to our first aid kit in there I’ve added rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, duck tape (does everything! lol), fishing line, lip balm, cold medicine, a hand cranked radio/lamp/siren, and toothpaste. I would like to add some snake bite precautions since we do have a lot of snakes here and probably something for bug bites. I’d definitely love to win that multi tool! How cool is that!?
Multi tools are great!
I got some extra containers of water this week and a few extra food items, 72 hour kit backpacks for our little kids. Thanks for the info on the burn gel!
No problem! I love sharing good products!
I’ve already got great first aid kits in our bags, but I’m going to add a few products that I think will be helpful: New-skin liquid bandages and a snake bit kit.
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Great information! I just thought that maybe adding in Hydrogen peroxide for any type of sore or cut in the mouth or overall disinfectant would be a good idea; It also doesn’t sting as much as Rubbing alcohol. I also thought maybe an eye wash. You have cold packs so maybe even heat packs or hand and feet warmers.
Great ideas and tips Deanna! I LOVE that there are so many ideas out there. I learn so much!
I found a small first aid booklet bound with spiral rings at Barnes & Noble. It has just about anything you would need as far as first aid information is concerned. The best part is that it is waterproof! Plus it is really small and lightweight. I’m just hoping that this book along with my first aid training from years ago will be sufficient! I still have a lot to learn but my mom, aunt and sister are all nurses so hopefully that will help out a lot!
LOVE that it is waterproof!
I have all of the things you mentioned, and I also have Epi pens. Although no one in my family is allergic to bees, I do have many friends and neighbors who are…so I keep them in my kit(s) and motor home at all times.
I also keep a week’s supply of herbals/vitamins and prescriptions. I keep a written list of my these (including RX numbers) as well.
Very helpful blog.
I like the idea of the written list!
My first aid kit came with most of the things on the list, but I would still like to add moleskin, a pen light, and dust masks. Getting poison ivy treatment is top priority, however, since that stuff is EVERYWHERE around here (and yet I never would have thought to add that if it weren’t for your blog!).
Glad to help Erica!
I have a lot of items on the list but don’t have any burn gel, so that needs to happen soon!
I really do love that burn gel Leigh!
Love the double use idea Laneice!
I already had a fairly stocked pre-made first aid kit, so this week I just added a few of the items on the list, such as additional burn gel and iodine tabs.
I also printed out several first aid guides. I always research first and and medication type subjects on the internet, but I realized the internet might not be available to me if a disaster happened and there was no power. I wanted to make sure I had the basics included in my kit. I would like to get a small first aid book as well.
Smart thinking Kristina!
I just found your site today, doing a search for a Child ID Kit. I really love the info you have posted here. i am a Frugal Blogger and have been looking for more “Prepping” things, other than our normal couponing stockpile. I will be back for sure and I am going to check out the past weeks posts on this topic. 🙂
As far as the giveaway entry (which I am just now seeing HAHA) I am starting from scratch. I do, obviously have a lot of stuff in our stockpile from couponing, but nothing put together in “kit” form, so I will be going back to your week 1 and starting there.
Sounds great Jodi! Your blog looks great too! I tried my hand at Frugal Blogging a few years ago…it is COMPETITIVE!
Oh, it really is! The drama involved is UGH! I can’t take it! I have a few good “friends” with whom I chat daily, and I try my best to mind my own business, but things happen and drama is always around…. Even though, I love my job, so I continue with it. 😛
Thank you for the reminder about the super glue. We bought it but it somehow never made it into the first aid kits.
You are welcome Meredith!
Not adding anything this week as its tight. But will add activated charcoal in the next few weeks. Thanks nurished. We have brown recluse spiders in our part of the country and the charcoal is suppose to pull the poison out. At least that’d what I read, hope I never have to find out if it works. A friend got bit by one and there isn’t an anti venum for them. Doc just try to stop an infection. so it would be worth the try to me.
Great tip Christina, thanks!
My husband is a supreme Eagle scout and had some “suggestions” when we were going through our first-aid supplies. In our kits, we have tongue depressors (taken out of my preschool supplies) instead of buying finger splints. And, we have a CPR shield for each person and an extra in our family kit so that if, in an emergency, we happened upon someone else who needed help, we wouldn’t have to give up one of our own mouth shields to perform CPR. Just a thought. =)
Also, my husband recently went with Mormon Helping Hands to New York/New Jersey to help with the Sandy cleanup. They required N95 masks (instead of the regular dust masts) because of all of the mold growing after the water went down. For us, if we are going to take up the space with masks, they should be able to block more than just dust . . . just throwing it out there!
Last one, I promise! Anyone who is mormon should consider adding consecrated oil to the first aid kit too!
Thanks for all the great suggestions Crystal. I completely agree with the oil, I’ve got it listed in the week on religion!